ioana
in quest for genuine
My Profile
About Me
- Name: ioana
- Location: Bucharest, Romania
I experiment with myself and the world around me. I always seek for that small sparkle of what's real and authentic in things, people, nature...
Archive
Thursday, December 29, 2005
From Bosphor to Singapore river
Eight days is apparently enough to cross the boarders of 3 countries (well, 4 if I count the escale to Bangkok :)) I'm not in the mood for writing, just wanted to laugh of the temperature difference from 5 degrees in Istanbul, where I fed some cats on the shore of Bosphor, to the 32 degrees in Singapore, where I am being fed hong kong noodles by Pixi & Albert :p
(The Bosphor poures in the Marmara Sea)
(Singapore river, Esplanade)
(The Bosphor poures in the Marmara Sea)
(Singapore river, Esplanade)
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Religion?
Mmm, this is actually one of my favourite subjects! I am born in a Christian family, yet my parents were not practicants when they were young, so I was always told I had the possibility to choose!
Religion is definetly not the kind of thing you would decide by taking an internet test :):):) A friend mailed me one of these tests (as a joke, with Christmas coming and all), and the funny thing is that the result gave me some food for thought: agnostic.
I realized when I was about 14 that Christianism is not the thing for me. All the rules, the prayer rituals, the role the church plays appear to me more like ways of mass control rather than true spiritual bonding with God.
So i started then my search for a religion, reading a lot, meeting new people, spending hours and hours of search for that ONE religion that I woud feel ready to embrace. At about 17 I realized I had the wrong approach, that religion is just a form of worship, not the definition of god. And that was the thing I need, my own definition of god.
I still can't say I have consciousness of god. What I came to realize though is that there is not deity. I feel there is more than substance, there is a sparkle of divinity in humans, in beings, in non-beings. I believe we can become aware of our sparkle, and we can connect to the divine fluids surrounding us.
I still don't know how :)
Religion is definetly not the kind of thing you would decide by taking an internet test :):):) A friend mailed me one of these tests (as a joke, with Christmas coming and all), and the funny thing is that the result gave me some food for thought: agnostic.
 | You scored as agnosticism. You are an agnostic. Though it is generally taken that agnostics neither believe nor disbelieve in God, it is possible to be a theist or atheist in addition to an gnostic. Agnostics don't believe it is possible to prove the existence of God (nor lack thereof). Agnosticism is a philosophy that God's existence cannot be proven. Some say it is possible to be agnostic and follow a religion; however, one cannot be a devout believer if he or she does not truly believe.
Which religion is the right one for you? (new version) created with QuizFarm.com |
I realized when I was about 14 that Christianism is not the thing for me. All the rules, the prayer rituals, the role the church plays appear to me more like ways of mass control rather than true spiritual bonding with God.
So i started then my search for a religion, reading a lot, meeting new people, spending hours and hours of search for that ONE religion that I woud feel ready to embrace. At about 17 I realized I had the wrong approach, that religion is just a form of worship, not the definition of god. And that was the thing I need, my own definition of god.
I still can't say I have consciousness of god. What I came to realize though is that there is not deity. I feel there is more than substance, there is a sparkle of divinity in humans, in beings, in non-beings. I believe we can become aware of our sparkle, and we can connect to the divine fluids surrounding us.
I still don't know how :)
Monday, December 19, 2005
I love AIESEC :)
Brand ............................................ Lovemark
Recognized by consumers .............. Loved by People
Generic ............................................. Personal
Presents a narrative ................ Creates a Love story
The promise of quality ............ A touch of Sensuality
Symbolic .............................................. Iconic
Defined .............................................. Infused
Statement ............................................. Story
Defined attributes ...................Wrapped in Mystery
Values ................................................. Spirit
Professional ....................... Passionately Creative
Advertising agency ........................Ideas company
Source: Kevin Roberts, Lovemarks
Recognized by consumers .............. Loved by People
Generic ............................................. Personal
Presents a narrative ................ Creates a Love story
The promise of quality ............ A touch of Sensuality
Symbolic .............................................. Iconic
Defined .............................................. Infused
Statement ............................................. Story
Defined attributes ...................Wrapped in Mystery
Values ................................................. Spirit
Professional ....................... Passionately Creative
Advertising agency ........................Ideas company
Source: Kevin Roberts, Lovemarks
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Shame, Singapore, Shame
I have a flight ticket on my desk: Bucharest-Istanbul-Singapore, and return. I am going to spend part of my winter holiday with some amazing friends I have on the other side of the world. I am really happy with taking the decision to go there, since it involved some deep buried feelings, and it took me a long time to come to it (and to feel in peace with it).
The image I had on Singapore is very much related to how my friends picture it on their e-mails and blogs: hot and wet climate, financial hub of Asia, good payment, great economy, fun, international environment, lots of parties, lots of shopping, lazy afternoons spent in the swimming pool….
But I’ve learned another image about Singapore some weeks ago, this one:
On December 2nd, at 6am, a 25 year man has been hanged for transporting 396.2 grams of heroin into Singapore.
“Singapore, with a population of just over four million, is believed to have the highest per capita execution rate in the world. More than 420 people have been executed since 1991, the majority for drug trafficking. The Government of Singapore consistently has maintained that the death penalty is not a human rights issue.” (more)
I still feel I am sometimes blind to the world around me. Perception is reality to the perceiver, I work in marketing, so I should know this basic principle. Governments and corporations are no different from each other when coming to shape the public’s perceptions. I expected such human rights violation from underdeveloped countries (either socially, politically or economically), but it never seizes to shock me from developed nations. Information on these practices is very scarce, even on the internet I was able to find only a few links about this case, and on the aberrant Singapore legislation.
I stand for freedom, as one of my core values. Freedom of the heart and thought, I would usually emphasize, but I am more and more reminded on how basic human rights of freedom are constrained.
Violence breeds only violence, I have learned to know this. If you choose to end violence by using violence, or declare a “war on terror” the only thing we’ll get is more violence, or another war. Surprisingly enough, my friend from Singapore declared that he is not against the death penalty, and he understands the cultural differences that may lead to the use of such methods.
So I decided to check a few more opinions, and asked some people what they think about the death penalty. Out of 6 people I asked, only one said she completely disagrees, one that she thinks in most cases execution is an abuse, and the other 4 completely agreed with executions.
The arguments I was given in favor of death penalty are that people deliberately killing someone else, or performing violent deeds, or even destroying other’s life by giving them drugs deserve to die!
Oh really? And who should decide that, I might ask? Isn’t execution just another form of premeditated murder? Just that in this cause is simply ratified by the government/state. And why should a state have right of life or death over its citizens?
Do the executions in Singapore lead to less drug consumption? Well, they don’t even bother measuring that. But they go on with the killings. Or does a murderer’s execution lead to lower criminality rates? Actually no!
Call me an idealist, but I believe the answer lies in prevention, in educating people about the consequences of drug use, in understating what social or psychological mechanisms turn a person into a murderer, and act upon those.
And I also believe that the right to live is the most fundamental right people should have. That no state, no court, no jury and no person should have the power to take it away from us. Otherwise we’ll soon wake up living in a horrific reality depicted from George Orwell’s 1984
The image I had on Singapore is very much related to how my friends picture it on their e-mails and blogs: hot and wet climate, financial hub of Asia, good payment, great economy, fun, international environment, lots of parties, lots of shopping, lazy afternoons spent in the swimming pool….
But I’ve learned another image about Singapore some weeks ago, this one:
On December 2nd, at 6am, a 25 year man has been hanged for transporting 396.2 grams of heroin into Singapore.
“Singapore, with a population of just over four million, is believed to have the highest per capita execution rate in the world. More than 420 people have been executed since 1991, the majority for drug trafficking. The Government of Singapore consistently has maintained that the death penalty is not a human rights issue.” (more)
I still feel I am sometimes blind to the world around me. Perception is reality to the perceiver, I work in marketing, so I should know this basic principle. Governments and corporations are no different from each other when coming to shape the public’s perceptions. I expected such human rights violation from underdeveloped countries (either socially, politically or economically), but it never seizes to shock me from developed nations. Information on these practices is very scarce, even on the internet I was able to find only a few links about this case, and on the aberrant Singapore legislation.
I stand for freedom, as one of my core values. Freedom of the heart and thought, I would usually emphasize, but I am more and more reminded on how basic human rights of freedom are constrained.
Violence breeds only violence, I have learned to know this. If you choose to end violence by using violence, or declare a “war on terror” the only thing we’ll get is more violence, or another war. Surprisingly enough, my friend from Singapore declared that he is not against the death penalty, and he understands the cultural differences that may lead to the use of such methods.
So I decided to check a few more opinions, and asked some people what they think about the death penalty. Out of 6 people I asked, only one said she completely disagrees, one that she thinks in most cases execution is an abuse, and the other 4 completely agreed with executions.
The arguments I was given in favor of death penalty are that people deliberately killing someone else, or performing violent deeds, or even destroying other’s life by giving them drugs deserve to die!
Oh really? And who should decide that, I might ask? Isn’t execution just another form of premeditated murder? Just that in this cause is simply ratified by the government/state. And why should a state have right of life or death over its citizens?
Do the executions in Singapore lead to less drug consumption? Well, they don’t even bother measuring that. But they go on with the killings. Or does a murderer’s execution lead to lower criminality rates? Actually no!
Call me an idealist, but I believe the answer lies in prevention, in educating people about the consequences of drug use, in understating what social or psychological mechanisms turn a person into a murderer, and act upon those.
And I also believe that the right to live is the most fundamental right people should have. That no state, no court, no jury and no person should have the power to take it away from us. Otherwise we’ll soon wake up living in a horrific reality depicted from George Orwell’s 1984
UberLDS - Uberness. Delivered.
I have passed though one of the most intensive experiences of my aiesec life so far. NPS is a yearly national conference in Romania, with two agendas, one for the new members that joined the organization two months ago, and one for the experienced members that have or will have leadership experience.
LDS (Leadership Development Seminar) was one of the best experiences for me as delegate at the conference, two years ago, and since then I wanted very much to facilitate one day the learning for the delegates on this track. Our UberLDS (uber = the ultimate, best of the best) had I think the best facilitators team, at least since I’ve been in AIESEC, and an inspiring chair, Femi, former AI Director.
LDS (Leadership Development Seminar) was one of the best experiences for me as delegate at the conference, two years ago, and since then I wanted very much to facilitate one day the learning for the delegates on this track. Our UberLDS (uber = the ultimate, best of the best) had I think the best facilitators team, at least since I’ve been in AIESEC, and an inspiring chair, Femi, former AI Director.
(the UberLDS faci team)
Besides the usual facilitator responsibilities, I also took the challenge of organizing the first Sustainability Day in Romania. To start from scratch, the truth is I myself knew very little about sustainable development, so it took me quite some effort to learn and be able to draw a consistent agenda for the AIESEC members to find out more about how stakeholders should act to achieve sustainable development. I had a lot of help from Teia and Richard, two amazing individuals, both aiesec alumni with experience in sustainability.
So for one whole day, my beautiful members worked with 15 different organizations, from the corporate, governmental and civic sectors, to learn more about Corporate Responsibility, Education, Energy, Finance and Entrepreneurship.
I am so proud about all this because I feel that we as MC team achieved a point of synergy in our evolution. We did wonderful things until now, but this was the first time when each and every one of us had its contribution to the success. And it was great success!!
Until now NPS has been the “star” of our team experience, with tremendous effort from all of us, and great satisfaction to deliver a conference beyond the highest expectations.
Cezar, Dani, Geani, Gioni, Gabiza and Salma, I love you and I am so proud of you, so proud of us! We are truly UBER :):)
(so tired, so happy at the end of Sustainabiliy Day)